The One That Got Away
by Claykalin
Summary: Narcissa's back at Hogwarts for her second year, but it's not going to be as smooth as last year was. It's the first day of classes and Bella's madness is already intensifying, and Andromeda is about to get in a lot of trouble, unless Narcissa can stop her family values from taking over and help her before Rabastan makes sure there's no going back. T for a little violence


**The One That Got Away**

Narcissa's back at Hogwarts for her second year, but it's not going to be as smooth as last year was. It's the first day of classes and Bella's madness is already intensifying, and Andromeda is about to get in a lot of trouble, unless Narcissa can stop her family values from taking over and help her before Rabastan makes sure there's no going back.

**_A/N: _**_Hi there! This is a one-shot written for Task One of the Fanfiction Wizard Tournament Competition. A story based around the Blacks, in this case Narcissa as a teenager, using the setting Black Lake, the phrase "slapped in the face", and there's a fair amount of drama here, too._

_Enjoy! And if you really liked it you can always leave a review! :)_

_****__Disclaimer: __The following story is based on the excellent works of J.K. Rowling, the characters mentioned are not mine._

_**Also**: Being Australian, I may have a few spelling variations to what you may or may not be used to, just skim over them and try not to let them get to you :)_

...

September 3rd, 1967

Narcissa smiled as she awoke to find herself in her dorm room, silent as ever. Refracted sunlight filtered through the gaps in the wall where the Lake could be seen, giving the room a lively, somewhat cheerful mood.

It was Monday today, her first day of classes. Of course, she was in second year now; they weren't her _first_ classes, but technicalities. She dressed in her uniform and shrunk the books she'd need for the day before putting them in her bag and heading to the Common Room. The House-Elves brought light snacks upon the request of a Head Boy several years ago, and they've kept it up ever since.

There, Narcissa found her friend Helen Thurkell sitting by the Lake Window eating through a plate of custard-filled scones, and quickly joined her before they were all gone.

"Excited for Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Helen asked drily. Of course their _favourite_ subject would be Monday mornings.

"You know it." Narcissa replied. "Do you think we'll learn anything?"

"No."

"Maybe we'll learn how to block a stunning spell?" Narcissa laughed.

"I'm pretty sure half the seventh year Hufflepuffs can't _send_ a stunning spell." Elissa said. "Look out, your sister is coming."

Sure enough, through the groups of chatting Slytherins came Bellatrix Black, casually kicking any books or cups she came across. She'd tried to tie her hair in a ponytail but most had escaped, leaving some sort of bird's nest looking thing atop her head.

"Cissy come here, there's something I have to show you." Before Narcissa could even comprehend her sister's command, Bellatrix had lifted her by her arm and dragged her to the Notice Board.

_A very warm welcome to the new Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain: Aquila Brown!_

_Aquila has proved himself as an excellent seeker over the past two years, and our Head of House has rewarded him! Let's not forget his death-defying dive in the Slytherin v Ravenclaw match last year, snatching us a to a two-hundred point victory!_

_Staying on the team this year will be the beautiful Chasers Lyra Greengrass and Austrina Prewett, and our amazing Beater Alistair Burke. Serelyn MacDougal has stood down from her position as Beater to focus on her NEWTs this year. Good luck!_

_Tryouts for the remaining three positions will be held this Saturday the eighth at 10am. See you there whether you're trying out or not – we can always do with house members practicing in front of a crowd, and they need your support!_

_- Rabastan Lestrange and Violetta Bulstrode, Slytherin Head Boy and Girl_

"So what do you think? Are you going to try out, Cissy?" Bellatrix asked, bouncing up and down in anticipation, her fingers stretching and clenching madly.

"I can barely fly straight on a broomstick." I pointed out. "You know that."

"Well yeah, but they can't stop you from going along anyway!" Bellatrix cackled and fled to her room, no doubt to grab her broom and start hitting people with it. That was how Bella had always practiced Quidditch, though to be fair she was a naturally gifted flyer.

_She's such a strange girl, I sometimes wonder if father gives her potions to make her the way she is. It's unnatural, and she is so unpredictable and violent. I suppose the Dark Ones here aren't exactly a positive influence to her bizarre state._

"Cissa!" A new voice called. Narcissa turned to see her other sister, Andromeda, approaching. "She's not pulling you into tryouts, is she?"

"Hey there, Andy," Narcissa grinned, hiding the fear building up in her stomach. If Bella dragged her along, she would no doubt embarrass herself on front of all of Slytherin. No pureblood flies as bad as she did, her father had told her many times. "How did you know?"

"Because you're much easier to win over than me, so of course she's going to try and drag you along." Andy laughed and ruffled Narcissa's perfectly placed hair.

"Hey!" Narcissa pulled away from her sister and tried to put it all back in place using the reflection of a silver medallion hanging on the wall. "Do you _know_ how long it takes to get my hair right? This blonde streak father had me get does _not_ help."

"It's for the Malfoy's approval, not yours. You know you're arranged to be with that Lucius boy."

"Yeah, but he's in the year above me! He barely even _talks_ to me. He'll just say hello if he walks past me between classes."

"Wait until next year when you get to go to Hogsmeade." Andy winked. "That's typically where all the courting happens."

"Why are you so happy about all of this?" Narcissa asked, unsure of how her sister could be so cheerful about such a dreary matter. "You're set up with the Head Boy, and he's just so cruel, much better suited for Bella."

"Ah but you haven't met Rudolphous Lestrange, he's much worse."

"And I don't want to. What's Rabastan like around you, anyway?"

"Eh, he's alright." Andy said, being uncharacteristically vague. She was usually quite forthcoming when Narcissa was young and Andy would come home for holidays and tell her all about the other people at Hogwarts, not to mention the professors. "Hey I'll see you later, need to go see someone." Andy winked again before heading for the vanishing wall.

_Who could she possibly be going to see _outside_ of Slytherin_? Narcissa wondered, watching her sister's grinning figure slip out unnoticed.

Narcissa's morning was quite dull. Her double in Defence Against the Dark Arts was spent with the professor going over a "Wand Safety Within the Class Room" spiel after an accident last year, which had somehow remained a mystery from the general student body.

After a double period of said wand safety, Narcissa had double Charms, where she surprised everyone by mastering the water-boiling charm within ten minutes of the class practicing. She spent the rest of the class moving on to pumpkin juice and a glass of Butterbeer the professor brought in.

By the end of the class, one other student, a Ravenclaw, had managed to boil their water, but did not have time to try the pumpkin juice. Narcissa hadn't managed the Butterbeer, the professor explained that the thickness and variation in the drink made it harder to heat up, but her reward was nonetheless to keep the drink, and Narcissa happily took it to lunch, where she drank the glass slowly in front of her friends and sisters.

After lunch was Care of Magical Creatures. There had been talk over the holidays of moving the starting level for a number of subjects to third year, but the school board had either disagreed or had not organised it all in time for the new year. There had been no complaints.

The lesson itself was pathetic at best. The goofball Kettleburn was still here, even after injuring himself over the Summer on a dragon-watching trip to New Zealand. He'd brought fifty odd Doxies for the class to study.

He spoke of their movements and flight patterns, the kind of foods they like and dislike, preferred habitats, how to stun them (but he did not mention how to actually kill them or their eggs), and how to safely preserve any stunned doxies before throwing them into a fireplace and flooing them to the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Species, or "darsems" as most have come to call it.

Narcissa didn't have any friends in this class, no other Slytherin girls took Care of Magical Creatures, and so she headed back to the castle alone for her History of Magic class.

As she walked over the stones before the bridge, she slipped on a wet section and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, no one laughed at her, but neither did anyone stop to help her up or gather her things.

_Plebeians_, Narcissa thought as she opened her bag to put in the quills and ink bottles that had escaped. As she did, however, a doxy flew out, squealing as it zoomed around her in circles and threateningly flying directly at her face before dodging Narcissa's swinging fist.

"Enough!" Narcissa shouted. She cast the spell Kettleburn had taught them, and it gave an indignant squeak as it fell to the ground, solid as the stone she'd slipped on.

_I can't believe one of these stupid doxy's got into my bag_! _And now I have to take it back to Professor Kettleburn_,_ he won't like it if one of his precious doxies goes missing. Such a strange man_.

He was gracious about it all, though seemed a little worried for the stunned creature. _It's not like it could have stung and killed me, or sent me into some fit_, but no, it's just his precious baby he wants to take care of.

_And now there's a bunch of Gryffindor's in the main entrance courtyard. Definitely not walking through that tough crowd; any Slytherin walking alone is fair game for them, sometimes they just need someone to take their anger and frustration out on; savagery at its finest._

Narcissa was stuck taking the long way around to the Transfiguration Courtyard entrance. Wandering around the side paths isn't too bad, Narcissa found it nice to be in a solitary, quiet state. However, as she rounded another wall, she came across a large area where the Black Lake came close to the school; it was a popular area for studying on weekends.

It was empty now, as there were classes on, but she could hear familiar voices shouting and slipped behind some thick shrubs to listen. She was already late to History of Magic, though there was significant doubt the stupid ghost would even notice, hopefully someone will cover for her.

"You will do as you're told!" A deep, male voice shouted. "I'm in charge of you! Unofficially, I'll admit, but you are _mine_. And I say, stay away from that Tonks guy! He's a _Hufflepuff_ for Morganna's sake."

"I am not yours, you vile _thing_!" Narcissa gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. It was Andromeda. But who was she arguing with? He sounded familiar, that's for sure.

"Yes you are! Our parents have already decided! You can't throw yourself at some mudblood!"

"How dare you? I love hi-" Andy screamed, Narcissa heard the sound of block of would being clapped against another. She'd heard the sound many times at home, when her father slapped her mother. Hang on. That boy just _slapped_ Andy!

Narcissa slowly moved along the bushes and stuck her head out to see her sister on the ground, and the Head Boy Rabastan standing over her, one of his feet on her chest to keep her down.

"I'm the one you love." He hissed. "Do you understand? You're _promised _to me, and that's all there is about it. I won't have my future wife having flings with filth."

"I'll die before I marry you!" Andy managed, before Rabastan kneeled down to hold both his hands to her throat.

"I can arrange that if you wish." He said, and Narcissa was horrified by how happy he seemed to oblige to her sister's ultimatum.

Andy cried out with a piercing scream, lashing at him with her arms, but Rabastan seemed to have had enough of playing and whipped his wand out, trapping his target in a full body bind curse.

Narcissa had had enough; she put her things down and pulled her wand out. She knew little magic that would help her win against a seventh year, but she was a Black, and her father had taught them Dark Magic long before they ever got their wands. Narcissa and Bella had always taken it a step further and read through the books in their father's study. A specific book came to Narcissa's mind; on Ancient Latin Torture Spells used in the times of the Roman Empire.

Rabastan had begun whispering things into Andy's ear, and Andy screamed and cried out again, pleading with him. It seems the curse he'd used left her head unbound. He began kissing her, slowly moving down to her neck and then down to her chest, undoing the buttons of her shirt as he went.

Andy cried out, her frozen body rocking slightly as she fought against the curse holding her. "_Stop_! You can't do this! _NO_!"

Suddenly Andy stopped shouting, as she spied Narcissa creeping forward. Narcissa locked eyes with her sister and gave her an encouraging nod, creeping forward. The curse that had come to mind was a dangerous one, and Narcissa had to get close so she didn't accidentally hit her sister. Andy shook her head violently.

"Leave!" she cried out. Rabastan laughed

"I'm not leaving you now." Rabastan laughed, too quick to assume Andy was talking to him. "We're getting to the fun part." He grinned wickedly, he moved to sit on top of Andy's frozen form and leaned forward to kiss her and try to shut her up. His hands were slowly easing Andy's frozen form out of her robe and shirt.

Narcissa stood unmoving for a moment. If Rabastan had moved around any further, he would have seen her. Then again, he's the kind of arrogant boy that doesn't even think he'll get caught in the first place. He's even left his wand on the grass, seeing only his main target and not even checking to make sure they're alone.

"Pellesius Ardebita!" Narcissa cried out. Both hands gripped her wand tightly as she pointed her wand at Rabastan's neck, and immediately he cried out, one hand flying to hold his neck which was now blistering and turning a violent shade of red.

He growled at Narcissa, and his free hand went for his wand.

_No. _Narcissa thought, taking an incredulous step back._ You're supposed to be overcome with pain. You should be borderline unconscious. You can't get up and attack me. I can't defend myself against a seventh year! I don't even know the counter-curse to free Andy!_

Thankfully, the curse had begun to spread across his back and onto the hand he'd touched his neck with. His skin was buzzing as it burned, and he quickly gave up on Narcissa and jumped into the Lake in an attempt to cool the burning.

Narcissa couldn't help but laugh. The burning spell was purely a mental attack. Whilst the skin appeared to be burning, it would be fine in a day or two. The mental pain, however, was very real. The water would not hinder it.

"What did you do to me?" Rabastan cried out, writhing in pain in the shallows of the Lake. "You're no Dark One!"

"I'm still a Black." Narcissa said proudly.

"Cissa," Andy called. "Help me. _Renodo_."

"I don't know if I'll do it right." Narcissa said, "What if I cast it wrong and hurt you?"

"You won't hurt me. Just cast it so we can't get away before anyone finds us."

Narcissa gave in to her sisters pleading and cast the counter-curse. Thankfully, it worked, and Andy quickly readjusted her clothes before picking up the spilt contents of her bag and standing to give Narcissa a hug.

"Thanks," she whispered, looking truly grateful. "I owe you one, sis."

"What should we do about him?" Narcissa asked, nodding in Rabastan's general direction, where he had passed out from the pain and now lay unconscious on the banks of the Lake.

"Leave him. He can get his own way out of this one. Let's get away from here before someone does come looking."

"Shouldn't we get him to the Hospital Wing? Father said that curse has killed people before, and I was pretty angry when I cast it."

"Cissa, if you hadn't been here to save the day; _I_ would be the one unconscious. Do you think he'd take me to the Hospital Wing?"

Narcissa shook her head, and took the hand Andy offered and walked back to the castle.

"You can't tell anyone about this, do you understand?" Andy instructed, as she briskly made her way to the dungeons and dragged Narcissa along with her. "Not father, not Bella; no one. Rabastan won't say anything, he'd have to explain how I got away and he won't do that, it'd look too bad for him."

"But…" Narcissa began, not sure how to put her thoughts into words. "Has he acted like that before? He can't be allowed to do that, you should tell father."

"You've seen how father treats his wife; do you think he cares how we're treated by our future husbands? Wake up, Cissa. You're lucky you've got that Lucius boy, he's more silent and traditional, but definitely not violent."

"And what about that Tonks boy he mentioned? Who's he?"

Andy dragged Narcissa behind a stone gargoyle and held her against the wall. Andy wasn't hurting her, but she couldn't move all that much.

"You can't tell anyone what you heard, do you understand?"

"But _who_ is he? Rabastan said he was a Mudblood." Narcissa cringed at the thought of such an existence.

"You're definitely your father's daughter, you know that? Mudbloods are just as magical as we are. Do you think their blood is a different colour?"

"You said you loved a Mudblood, Andy, half the house is going to be after you if this gets out."

"Which is why you won't tell anyone." Andy said quickly. "Ted and I are going to keep it a secret. If our relationship lasts, it will remain a secret until we've both graduated. Father will no doubt disinherit me, but I don't care."

"You're just going to leave the family? Leave me? You can't do that, you're a Black. You're going to go the same way as the Prewetts have been, their daughter was a _Gryffindor_."

Andy scowled at her sister before taking a deep breath. "You can come with me, you know."

"No. I know what my duties are to my family. Do you?" Narcissa threw off her sisters grip and stormed away, not believing what her sister had been up to all this time.

_It's a Mudblood! How can she possibly even talk to one of them? What's father going to say when he finds out? _Narcissa slipped into a secret passage to escape her pursuing sister and sat down on a stone bench. _I can't turn my sister in to the hounds, they'll kill her. But I can't believe she's going to turn her back on us. She's a Slytherin! Slytherins don't do this. Maybe she's the Gryffindor?_

Narcissa stopped her train of thought before her entire mental foundations collapsed. This was her _sister_ she was talking about, her favourite sister. She couldn't hate her sister, even if she did dishonour the family.

_I don't think I can handle this_.

She heard the distant sound of the bell and headed off to her next class, determined to focus wholly on the lesson. This was all just too much for her. This morning her biggest worry was Bella dragging her onto the Quidditch Pitch in front of their entire house. It was such a trivial fear now.


End file.
